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STEM Education: Introduction to NYFA STEAM
The New York Film Academy’s STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics) Education Initiatives Program engages aspiring artists in science and project-based learning as they collaborate on genuine scienti c research with partnering institutions -- including NASA! With NYFA STEAM, students
have launched a lm project into the stratosphere
with California State University, Northridge (CSUN), investigated the technology and construction of complex lens systems with Radiant Zemax’s OpticStudio 114 software, chronicled the development of the James Webb Space Telescope with NASA and Northrop Grumman Corporation, and more.
By providing STEM education in science, technology, engineering and math outside of traditional contexts, NYFA STEAM bridges the gap between STEM and the arts. We give visual and performing arts students the opportunity to experience live research and apply the artistic discipline of storytelling to the hands-on
application of their experiences. The artist is then able to synthesize the learning into a story and further enrich the broader understanding of the knowledge gained through research. The results are stunning visual art products (PSA’s, short documentaries, and animations) that display the value of the collaboration between the arts and STEM.
Through NYFA STEAM, students have unprecedented opportunities to learn fundamental concepts in STEM outside of the traditional classroom contexts. Our collaborations emphasize engineering design and the scienti c method through project-based learning and immersion of students in genuine scienti c research involving real-time problem-solving skills, and also increase STEM outreach across members of the general populace through exciting visual products regularly featured on websites and social media platforms from the Academy and partnering institutions.